


Red Heat

by Sidneystarr



Series: Nontradtional A/B/O dynamics [5]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Alternate Universe - Cyberpunk, Anal Fingering, Anal Play, Anal Sex, Angst, Angst and Feels, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Attempted Sex, BDSM, Bad BDSM Etiquette, Bisexual Male Character, Bondage, Bondage and Discipline, Collars, Comfort/Angst, Crying, Cyberpunk, Discussion of Abortion, Emotional Hurt, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Far Future, Hurt/Comfort, Implied Mpreg, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Lactation, Leashes, Light Bondage, M/M, Male Lactation, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Molestation, Mpreg, Multi, Nesting, Non-Consensual Bondage, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Omega Verse, Other, Penis In Vagina Sex, Pregnancy, Psychological Trauma, Rape, Rape/Non-con Elements, Rutting, Sadism, Sexual Slavery, Slavery, Tattoos, Trans Character, Trans Male Character, Trauma, Unplanned Pregnancy, Vaginal Fingering, Vaginal Sex, Whump, strip
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-04
Updated: 2020-12-16
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:01:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27883429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sidneystarr/pseuds/Sidneystarr
Summary: "Omegas should not be in public unchaperoned.""Omegas are not supposed to work.""Omegas are delicate and in need of protection."Kieran had been used to hearing all of this ever since he was young, groomed like every Omega to embrace his role as lover, mother and nurturer. What happens when he decides that he doesn't want to conform? Thrust out from mainstream society and left to fend for himself, Kieran is soon taken in by Ming Sheng.Refusing to identify as an Omega, Kieran tries his best to fit in with the Alphas in Alpha society. Kieran considers himself trans-dynamic, preferring to distance himself from the Omegas in society. However his biology and society seem to have other plans for him, dangling freedom and independence just out of reach of him.However, what happens when an old flame catches wind of Kieran? Like the typical Alpha, he's determined to get what he wants, be it ethically or unethically and he doesn't care how its done, only that he can reawaken the claim he once held on Kieran.A retelling of my old work Hanger Bay, but in a more realistic setting.
Relationships: Original Character & Original Character, Original Character/Other(s), Original Male Character/Original Male Character
Series: Nontradtional A/B/O dynamics [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1590811
Kudos: 17





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I feel like ABO dynamics can be pretty restrictive sometimes, especially in how we assign gender roles to them. Sometimes I find their dynamic roles even more suffocating than gender roles, especially how there's a lot of pressure to conform though their biology. 
> 
> One morning I was having my morning tea ( I don't like coffee!) and I thought to myself as a trans/NB person; if we have trans individuals, why can't we have trans-dynamic or Non-binary dynamic characters like in ABO? I've also done a whole lot of thinking on how the dynamics come to be, and how scary it would actually be like to be an Omega in an ABO universe, a slave to Alphas and your biology. 
> 
> As usual, I love dark re-tellings of stories, so once I thought of that I just HAD to come up with a darker and grittier version of the ABO society, one where we really could actually explore the reality of living in an ABO world, and how GNC individuals would be treated there. 
> 
> Hence, the birth of this series! 
> 
> I hope you enjoy it and make sure to leave a kudos or a comment; I take time to respond and reply to every one of them and every comment means a lot to me, especially given how hard it is to get recognition as an original works author!

Again, with the stench. Wrinkling his delicate nose, Kieran weaves in and out of the crowd, keeping his hands in the pockets of his leather jacket as he moves. It was strong, overwhelming and overpowering, but Kieran forced himself not to shy away from it. 

Kieran walks into Drep Du Selv, holding his nose for a second as the rank of rut, testosterone, piss and day-old beer hit him. If he weren’t so hardened to the stench of the real world, he would’ve puked on the spot from the intensity of the stench. 

Instead, he picks a seat, shoving aside a large Alpha as he slid into the seat, wordlessly holding up one of his fingers to the barkeep. Ignoring the growl of the Alpha, Kieran simply flashes him his tongue, waggling the piercing in it around in a teasing gesture. His rosy lips curl into a devilish smile, Kieran’s black-painted nails tapping on the countertop as he waits for his order. 

Tough, yes, he had to be tough. The world of Alphas was one of testosterone, unneeded aggression and frequent fights. Already, he could feel their eyes burrowing into his back, trying to size him up every way they could. Small, smaller and less broad than the rest of them, Kieran puffed his chest up as the beer was slid to him, trying to rival the Alphas in their peacock-like displays. 

“You… come here often?” 

Hot breath down his neck, a glassy eyed stare and a lecherous smile. Kieran felt like flinging his drink at him, but held his temper back. 

“At least I get laid.” He smirks, downing a good portion of his beer in a gulp. 

Not good, the alcohol was getting to him. He cursed his gender and their lack of resistance to the intoxicating effects of alcohol. 

The fairer gender. Kieran scoffed.

“C’mon baby, don’t be like that.” A hand on his waist. The man must’ve assumed him fair game. 

Kieran feels a muscle twitch his eye as the man begins to feel him up, checking for a mark. He finds none, spare the bite suppressant collar locked securely round his neck. A fat finger loops its way around it, tugging at the intricate mechanism behind it. 

“Fuck. Off.” Kieran snarls, locking eyes with the Alpha. His teeth are bared, hunched over like a hungry animal about to pounce. 

“Feisty. Bet you’d fair pretty well i-“ The man begins, cut off by Kieran flinging his drink at his face. 

“I said fuck off! Learn to take no for a fucking answer!” Kieran snarls, standing up from his barstool. 

The room falls silent. Drinks left unattended; eyes fixated firmly on the lean blond in the middle of the bar room. Kieran scanned the room, taking in their gazes on him, adrenaline running through his system. 

For fucks sake… Alphas really needed to learn to stop putting their hands where they shouldn’t. Kieran stands triumphant, turning around to the rest of the bar as he raises them the double digit salute. He turned his back to the man he’d just thrown his drink at, growling angrily as he felt his hackles rise. 

The punch hits him with full force, slamming him into the countertop of the bar. The wind knocked out of him, Kieran coughs, cradling his bruised ribcage. 

Fuck, that’d hurt like a bitch. Quickly, Kieran searches around for a beer bottle, picking one up and immediately hopping to his feet. Some of the bar’s patrons had begun to stand, makeshift weapons on display as they started advancing into the radius of the barfight. 

“Barfight!” Someone calls out, flinging a shotglass at the Alpha. It hits him square in the head, shards of glass embedding themselves in his forehead. 

With a mighty roar, the Alpha launches himself at that man, hacking and slashing at each other with a renewed vigor. Kieran is drawn into the fracas, swinging his beer bottle around with gusto as he chokes on the smell of testosterone. He puts up a vicious fight, raking at whoever’s face he can find with his dulled claws, biting and choking out anyone in the close vicinity. Still, being the only one in a bar fight full of testosterone ridden Alphas, Kieran quickly finds himself overwhelmed. 

He’s soon pinned to the counter by another Alpha, this one broader, meaner and uglier than the last one. Fists rained down on him, the superior strength of the Alpha pinning him to the countertop. Kieran felt the urge to scream out for help, the pitiful whine hopeful enough to trigger an instinctual reaction in the Alphas in the bar, but he suppressed it. Raising his arms to block the man’s punches, Kieran shut his eyes, bracing himself for the next hit, the shadow of the man’s fists right above his head. 

“Run! I’ve got him!” A voice cuts through the chaos of the barfight.

Run? Kieran opens his eyes, only to come face to face with a small man with dark, wavy hair. He’d grabbed hold of the Alpha’s hand, panic in his large dark eyes as he beckoned for Kieran to escape. 

The smaller man pushes the Alpha off of him, grabbing hold of his hand as he begins to run, dragging Kieran with him. He’s unusually strong for his size, kicking the Alpha once more for good measure.

Kieran nodded, using his height as leverage to kick the man in his stomach, before bolting off in the direction of the exit. He’d ran until his legs gave out from under him, before collapsing to the filthy asphalt of the Ninturan slums, gagging from exhaustion. Dragging himself into an alleyway, he slumps against a wall to catch his breath. 

Just another night, just another fight. Kieran winces as he tries to suck in a deep breath. How many fights had he been in already? Kieran had lost count. His inability to tolerate Alphas and their knotheaded tactics had left him with a hair trigger temper, primed and locked to fire at almost anyone who got in his way. 

Still, this bar fight had seemed a whole lot worse than the previous ones, most of them being a display of bravado among enraged and intoxicated Alphas, the losers turning and running with their tails tucked behind their legs. 

This one had actually, fucking hurt. Kieran hisses in pain as he looked for a bottle of water in his jacket to wash away the caked dirt on his shirt. 

He might actually need the help of the doctors for this one. He’d hesitated going to the emergency room, afraid of the doctor’s poking and prodding and the recovery rooms, but the pain in his ribs was making it hard to breathe. He coughed, the nausea in his body making him dry heave again. 

Not good. Possible concussion. Kieran looked around in his leather jacket for his mobile phone, only to find it missing from his many pockets. Swearing, Kieran leaned back against the brick walls of the filthy, reeking alleyway. He laughed, shaking his head as he tried to focus his blurry vision.

“Hey, are you alright?” The strange man’s voice cuts through the thick fog of Kieran’s brain. 

Opening his eyes, Kieran tries to look around for the source of the voice. His vision blurs, focusing, then refocusing on his savior. He’s small, barely five four or a hundred and twenty pounds soaking wet, crouching over him with a bottle of water in his hands. A delicate brow knitted with worry, the ears on his head laid flat as he checks Kieran over. 

“I-I’ll live.” Kieran replies, a glob of blood coming up as he speaks. It stains his lips red, and Kieran finds it harder to concentrate.

Everything is blurry now, Kieran finding it hard to keep his head from lolling onto his chest as he holds onto his ribcage. 

“Phone… I need my phone.” He says to the melting figure in front of him. 

It mutters something incomprehensible in return, digging around in their bag before they hand something to him. Kieran stares at it, not understanding its purpose. 

“I said phone.” He repeats. 

Again, the pea soup words ringing in his ears. Kieran says something in reply, but he can’t make out what he says, before he finds himself slumping forwards and face first into the filthy alleyway. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fever dreams, things that could’ve, and should’ve gone wrong in Kieran’s life, but didn’t. Kieran spent the day wading through the much that was his life, exploring endless possibilities as he twisted and turned in a bed that was not his own. First came the sweats, Kieran feeling his body wracked with shivers and chills before a washcloth was placed over his forehead, drawing out the temperature in him. He would moan, trying to find his way into a nest, the seemingly spacious bed far too big for him as he huddled into a ball on the sheets. When he woke it would be for short bursts at a time, to let strange hands fuss over him, or to change his bandages. He would let them, touch starved and weak as he was, nearly finding himself leaning into the stranger’s hands. 

Finally, on what seemed to be the third day his fever broke, and Kieran jolted up from the bed in a blind panic. Anxiety coursed through him, and he tried to escape from his confines, making a mad dash for any entrance he was able to find. Clawing against walls, windows, anything that could serve as a vessel for freedom, his heart leaping furiously in his chest. Things in the room were thrown about, and breakable objects broken as Kieran struggled to escape, a primal instinct welling up within him. 

He could hear the click of a doorknob turning, a key jiggling within a lock. This’d only served to intensify his anxiety, the instinctual fear of strangers sending his mind into overdrive. Kieran needed out, and he needed out now, into a safe nest and not towards the danger that was rapidly driving its way towards him.

Kieran hated his basal self, the bits of his Omega instincts that still remained; what he hadn’t managed to train out of himself with sheer stubbornness. He could feel the pitiful noise in his throat start up once more, purring wracking his body no matter how hard he tried to suppress it. 

“So! What are you here for! To rape me like all those Alphas, huh? Fuck off!” He yells, the state of intense panic his mind was in making his voice sound disembodied and ghostly. Backed up in a corner with his heart leaping in his chest Kieran waits, eyes wide with fear as he hears footsteps approaching. 

The footsteps approach, but upon Kieran’s accusation of rape they stop, perched precariously by the threshold to their bedroom. 

“Rape? Why would you ever think of something like that?” They reply, their voice pleasant and a mix in-between masculine and feminine tones. 

“You-you’re just keeping me till I go into my first heat, right? Then you’ll take me. Like all the other Alphas. Good for nothing trash!” Kieran hisses. 

“Look, even if I wanted to rape you, which I clearly have no intent to, I lack the parts.” They reply in a huff, moving closer to Kieran. As they do, Kieran finds himself instinctively shrinking away.

“Lies.” He hisses, trying to keep up the aggression. Still, he’s noticeably less high-strung than when he woke up, the thought of being near an Omega, and not an Alpha slightly reassuring.

“What did you bring me here for, if not to rape me when my first heat comes?”

“Because I felt sorry for you and didn’t want to see you die in a freezing alleyway in the middle of the fucking night?” They clap back, sass lacing their voice. 

“…Yeah right.” Kieran snaps with as much venom he can muster, but most of it has left him. The fear of a foreign Alpha is too much to bear for him, but this one didn’t seem to be an Alpha at all. He reclines on the messed bedsheets, taking in his surroundings.

The room he awoke in appeared to be a small apartment bedroom, chipped purple walls covered in posters of bands. The room was fairly neat and well-organized – before Kieran took his little frenzy to it, a chest of spilled over makeup on the floor, accompanied by several band tees flung around the room. The room was suspiciously devoid of scent, Kieran sniffing the air to try and get a taste of his scent. 

Unable to scent him, Kieran relaxes onto the bed, looking up at the ceiling as he tried to suppress the adrenaline coursing through his veins. 

“Who are you?” He mutters. 

The young man sighs, clearing a space in the messy room before sitting on the floor. He makes sure to keep his distance from Kieran, averting eye contact with him. 

“It’s Ming Sheng, remember my name. I saved your ass last night.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Red Heat 2, things get more and more heated... again I love reading and answering comments, so please leave me one! I appreciate them all!

Ming Sheng. Kieran soon learnt his name, the name of his young savior. Dressed in a filmsy T-shirt and walking around like he owned the place, Ming Sheng had plucked him from the narrow confines of the alleyway, taking him back to his house and nursing him back to health. Seemingly unscentable, Ming Sheng carried himself with all the grace of a harried mother, running from room to room of his run-down apartment, fetching wet cloths for Kieran’s fever and bandaging his wounds.

Just why was Ming Sheng taking care of him? Kieran still hadn’t let his guard down one bit, mind meticulously mapping out the various escape routes he could take, counting the footsteps of Ming Sheng as he entered and exited. 

When he was well enough, Kieran thought, he’d make a dash for the door with nothing but a burner phone in his pockets. People couldn’t be trusted, much less one as scentless as Ming Sheng – he could’ve just been an Alpha using scent suppressants to lower his guard. 

The question of just what was Ming Sheng still caught Kieran off guard, gnawing on his brainstem as Ming Sheng changed his bandages once more, daubing antiseptic on his wounds before placing a steaming hot bowl of soup in front of him. Despite the repeated questioning, poking and prodding, Ming Sheng would not divulge any hint of his gender. Kieran had gotten quite sick of it actually, his methods of questioning becoming more and more direct. 

“So.” Kieran muses, looking idly at the half-empty bowl of soup in front of him, trying to shift the topic of their conversation at hand onto ‘that’ thing. 

“What is it?” Ming Sheng replies, eyes still fixated on their mobile game.

“About that… dynamic thing. You know?”

“I know.”

“What are you?”

Ming Sheng looks up at him, a brow raised as he assesses his patient. 

“You know asking me that just annoys me, right?” There’s a hint of irritation hidden behind his dark eyes, Ming Sheng hitting pause on the mobile game he’d been playing. 

“I know but, what are you? Sincerely. I have to know.”

“Really, I don’t see how this is important, unless you’re going to go into heat. Even so, rude. It’s like asking what’s in my pants.”

“Can I just get a straight answer from you.”

Ming Sheng’s eyes narrow visibly as he puts down his phone. 

“This is my house.”

“But this is important. Please. It matters, a lot.” Worry flashes in Kieran’s eyes.

“Fine. Since you asked so politely, so many times.” Ming Sheng says dryly, rolling his eyes.

“I’m an Alpha. Satisfied?” He goes back to his game, unperturbed. 

Alpha. Those words rang in Kieran’s head like a set of church bells. A fucking Alpha. Kieran should’ve known sooner than later what Ming Sheng had been up to. Just like those other disgusting monsters, he’d been setting Kieran up in his place, the only reason for his kindness and geniality an excuse to use his body. Pushing the bowl of soup away from him, he shakes his head, trying to ground himself. He had to stay calm, calm enough till Ming Sheng had left his bedside, calm enough for him to escape.

Fuck that. From the sensation of pain in Kieran’s ribs his wounds hadn’t healed in the least bit, but being injured and on the streets still fared better than being under the thumb of a potentially abusive Alpha.

He’d plotted his escape route for days already. Carefully memorizing the layout of Ming Sheng’s apartment, he would slip out in the dead of night, where his anxiety would keep him awake and disappear.

When he was sure Ming Sheng was fast asleep, Kieran packed up whatever he had, trying to ignore the searing pain in his sides. Slowly and silently, Kieran unlocked the window, slipping out and into the freezing balcony. Hissing as the cold night air hits him, Kieran makes his way down, relying on the spiral stairways that connected the apartments. 

Being eternally on the run was a small price to pay for freedom, and Kieran couldn’t remember the last time he’d been out without the constraints of his Alpha and those cursed high-necked clothes he’d been forced into. Stretching himself out, Kieran ignored the sting in his ribs, instead taking off in the direction of city lights. 

For a moment Kieran wondered how long it would take for the minders back at the faculty to wise up to his tricks; in the far future people had gotten lazy with administrative, relying on machines for headcounts and rollcalls. Still, the shard of wire jammed into his discarded ankle monitor and the bloodied remnants of his ID chip would only fool them for so long, and he would have to start running once again. 

For now, he would enjoy his freedom while it lasted, looking around for a bus stand. He’d calculated the money in his wallet, carefully counting out bills time and time again, making sure he’d have enough to escape. 

As expected, the bus arrived on the dot. Rattling, old and busted, it was clear that Daze’s town council wasn’t keeping up with Nintura’s polished image. The bus captain, a grizzled and whiskered man held out a scanner, prompting his passengers to scan their ID. 

The passengers began to file in, a ragtag mix of old and young. Turning his collar up, Kieran tries his best to blend in with the crowd, pulling his beanie low over the nubs of growing antlers. He keeps to the back, and when its his time to scan his ID, he slips a small, metal chip over his wrist, the signal jammer beeping as it registers the false ID.

“Welcome, Mr. Jan Klump. Have a nice ride!” The electronic voice beeps, allowing Kieran to scramble to the back. 

Pulling his jacket around him, Kieran slipped a pair of headphones on, leaning back in the back of the bus. His eyes are heavy from a lack of sleep, but he refused to let himself rest. Freedom was just a taste away, and he wasn’t about to gamble it away so soon. 

Stepping out the bus, Kieran stretched his sore legs, before merging into the crowd. Nintura, the smog already teasing his sensitive nose as he tries to blend into the crowd. Here in Nintura he was just another face, his pheromones disguised by the city stench. 

Unfamiliar with walking alone, Kieran finds himself wandering up till he approaches Daze, feeling at home in the chaos of Daze. Daze was the only home he’d known ever since escaping, and for an Omega, familiarity meant safety.

He’d look for something to eat first, poking his head into the shops as he looked for one that accepted cash. Hunger burned in his belly, his frustration mounting with every shop he’d look in. Every single one of them had that cursed ‘chip’ sign on it, and the cashiers would turn away cash as he'd presented it. 

Eventually Kieran grew frustrated, slipping into the nearest shop he could find. His fingers were shaking a little from the combination of thinly veiled frustration, as he did a quick glance over of the shop. 

Busy shop assistants? Check. Crowded? Check. Kieran wasn’t too familiar to the fine art of shoplifting, but he didn’t have an ID where card was king. Suppressing a thinly veiled growl, Kieran looks for a blind spot, before shoving some food into his jacket. A little too irate to bother with concealment of sleight of the hand tactics, Kieran shoves past the shop-keep, taking off into the night. 

“Hey! Come back here! You need to pay for that!” he can hear someone yell in the distance. Shrugging them off, Kieran continues running. 

There’s a growl, and the thudding of footsteps behind him, the stench of rancid Alpha stench burning his nose. Kieran shakes it off, forcing more air into their lungs as he runs faster, old wounds reopening in his side. 

He’s hurt, the combination of superior Beta strength, paired with the sharp pain in his side cause Kieran to double over, catching his breath as pain wracks his body. He snarls, feeling someone on his back tackling him to the ground. 

Screaming in pain, Kieran feels his old wounds re-opening as his chin hits the ground, his molars biting down onto his tongue. Kieran can taste blood in his mouth, whipping his head around he spits in the man’s face, struggling to get away. 

He feels something in his back, the point of a taser. Eyes dilating with fear, Kieran gives the man a jab in the gut, reaching in his leather jacket for a switchblade. He points it at the man, a low growl emanating from his throat. 

“If you know what’s good for you, you’ll dash.” He snarls, hackles raised. 

The man says nothing at first, standing frozen in place. The taser still buzzes menacingly, rivalled only with the glare in his eyes. 

“I’m serious.” Kieran snaps, a defiant fire burning in his eyes.

The stench of pheromones assaulted Kieran, freezing him in place. Mentally, Kieran rages, trying his best to will the strength in his legs to move, but he can’t seem to muster up the strength to move. His grip on the switchblade falters as the man advances towards him, kneeing him in his already bruised ribs. 

Intense pain courses through him, painful enough to make Kieran gag. His mouth opens in a silent scream, a cloud of distress pheromones filling the air with their characteristic stench. Doubled over on his knees, Kieran coughs, a burst of pain hitting him right in the gut. He’s brought to his knees, vision blurring as the man approaches, taser in hand. 

“Hey! Quit fighting! Go away!” 

Kieran’s eyes widen, the familiar voice ringing in his head. It’s uncharacteristically commanding and domineering, forcing the duo’s attention to snap to him. 

“I said go!” 

Again, the voice, combined with a sick and acrid stench that permeated his brain. No doubt an Alpha, the command distinctive. The man seems to move like a puppet on strings, stepping back from Kieran’s wounded frame as he backs away, moving back into the shop.

A shadow falls over him, narrowed eyes glaring into his soul. Small hands, folded across his chest as the owner of said shadow glares down at him. The smell is overwhelming, hard and heady pheromones muddling his head and stopping Kieran from looking him in the eyes.

“What? Am I so bad to you that you have to run away half-dead?”

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Drep wasn’t crowded when Ming Sheng had dragged him in, Kieran leaving trails of blood on the floor after him as he moves. Ming Sheng had kicked the door of the dive bar open, before dumping the Omega’s wounded body onto a well-worn couch, slamming the door shut behind him. 

“Time’s up. Drep is closed.” Ming Sheng snaps, tossing a crumpled-up stack of notes to the bartender. 

“Closed? Fuck you, Sheng. It’s ten PM on a Friday night. I’ve got money to make from people with no life and money to burn.” Boudica growls, flinging the cash back at Ming Sheng. It hits the tiny Alpha’s back, clattering to the floor.

“Fuck off, I spent money on this place too. I’m not letting it fill up with Alphas with him around.” 

Boudica opens her mouth to complain, but the scent of distressed Omega hits her. Reeling backwards, the natural protective instincts hit and she rushes to the barred windows, slamming steel shutters over them. 

“What the fuck is this?!” She hisses, keeping her voice down to avoid startling Kieran.  
The typical low coo of an Alpha trying to console an Omega, Kieran hears it, shying away from it. The sounds disgusted him, Kieran shying away from it as he tries to stand. The man’s strikes had opened the bruises in his ribcage again, making breathing itself difficult. He sucks in pained breath after pained breath, fighting the growing pain inside him. 

“I am not a this. Fuck you.” He hisses, glaring daggers at Boudica.

“Then what’s your name? Can’t keep calling you a ‘this’, right?”

“Kieran. Kieran Helminen. Fucking learn it.” He snarls, wincing as he coughs up more blood.

Kieran can feel Ming Sheng’s hands on his skin, pulling back his bloodied shirt. Hissing, Kieran instinctively swipes at him, leaving red welts on his skin with his blunted nails. 

“Fuck off Kieran! Sit the fuck down and actually let me bandage your goddamn wounds! Quit-“ Ming Sheng dodges yet another swipe from Kieran.

“Squirming around!” He snarls, the authoritative tone in his voice bringing Kieran to heel within seconds. Kieran immediately falls silent, freezing in place as he studies Ming Sheng with fear-filled eyes.

Ming Sheng seems to notice the fear in Kieran’s eyes, shoulders slumping.

“Look, I don’t know why you’re such a clown, but you need to sit the fuck down and shut the fuck up. I can’t treat you unless you stop squirming.” 

Using the last remnants of his willpower, Kieran shakes his head.

“Look, you’re bleeding into the couch. As much as I’d like to let you bleed to death like what happened three days ago, Boudica is short on cash and she don’t got the money to buy more bleach for this bar. If you want to bleed to death, do it outside. Want to stay in here, let us at least bandage your wounds.” Ming Sheng snaps, pointing to the door. 

Defeated, Kieran slumps into the chair, letting Ming Sheng change the bloodied bandages on his chest.


	3. Chapter 3

“So, want to let us know why you took off from my house last night?” Ming Sheng asks, licking the tips of his fingers. He works fast, quickly changing the bandages on Kieran’s chest, his fingers dexterous. 

“I’m running away.” Kieran replies, trying to keep the nature of his escape ambiguous.

“From what? Omegas aren’t the type to run.” 

“Stuff. I’m running from stuff.” Kieran replies curtly, brushing Ming Sheng’s hand off his shoulder once he’s done bandaging. He fights back the wave of disgust as Ming Sheng mentions Omegas, letting the chilling sensation run over him. 

He was not an Omega, fuck his blasted biology. He wasn’t a slave to his sex drive, locked away in the confines of a whelping room as a baby factory. He was Kieran fucking Helminen, strong, wild and free. Glaring daggers at Ming Sheng, he turns away from him, placing a hand over the lower half of his face to avoid inhaling.

“Be more specific. Air is stuff, food is stuff, ducks are stuff. Don’t tell me you’re running from a fucking duck, right?”

The scent of a curious Alpha invades his mind, compelling him to turn around. Kieran refuses.

“Just… someone is all.” Kieran snaps.

“Weird. Most Omegas have chaperon-“

“I don’t.” Kieran cuts off Ming Sheng before he can speak.

“Dumbass, he’s probably got hurt by his Alpha. He’s on the run. By letting him stay there, we’re harboring a fugitive.” Boudica adds, leaning against the counter of Drep. 

“Yeah? I’m sure he’s not that important anyway. Hey Kieran,” Ming Sheng says, poking him in his ribs.

“What, fuck! Ow! Watch it!” This earns a hiss of pain from Kieran and a jab back.

“How long have you been on the run?”

“About a week or so. Why?”

Ming Sheng nods wordlessly, turning his attention back to Boudica.

“See? That means they most probably gave up on looking for him anyway. S’all good.” 

Boudica’s brow furrows as she swings a set of keys around in her hand, moving over to the doors to lock up for the night. 

“And what if they haven’t?”  
“I’m quite sure they’ve given up on him, if not there’d be wanted posters all online and shit. You remember before they caught the Farworth bomber and all? Full of posters everywhere. You couldn’t go anywhere without seeing his ugly face.”

“Your point being?” She replies, finishing locking up the bar. 

“If they actually cared that much, they’d have his face plastered all over town. He’s not that important and I think they’ve given up on searching for him already.”

“And if they haven’t?”

“I swear they won’t. C’mon Boudie, work with me here.” 

She rolls her eyes, before flopping onto a couch. Kicking off her heels, she looks up at the ceiling, before taking a puff of her vape. Kieran coughs, the smell invading his sensitive nostrils. He coughs, new to the stench of artificial scents.

“You still haven’t given me a reason as to why he shouldn’t be kicked out into the streets, or at least have the Omega handlers come in to take him back.”

“Because.” Ming Sheng starts, but hesitates.

“Because?” Boudica presses the issue, blowing a little smoke away from Kieran this time.

“I’m not an object! Fucking talk to me, goddamnit!” Kieran yells, standing up and glaring at Boudica. 

“Sweetie. This is my bar, and my home, illegal as it is. I have all rights to kick you out should I want to. You need to learn the meaning of shut the fuck up, and sit the fuck down. Are we clear?” She says, her Alpha dominance lacing her words as she stands to her full height. Immediately, Kieran backs down, averting eye contact with her. 

“Like I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, what can he do here?”

“I’ll give you my car. Not forever though, just for a few months. Deal?”

“But why? Why all this for a fugitive? If he comes barging into our bar like that, we’ve got more on our hands than before. I can’t afford a liquor license with a bartender’s wage, and if he gets caught, we’re both in deep shit. Don’t be a knothead and actually think with the brain you’ve got, Sheng.” 

Ming Sheng flinches at the comment, but continues to speak. 

“It’s not that. I just feel bad for him, that’s all. He’s probably left all out there alone to starve, why not just give him a place to rest his head on at night?”

“You own half this place, Sheng. Stop being so soft.” She mutters, rolling her eyes. Still, the tall Alpha appears to soften a little, turning to Kieran, a soft smile on her garishly painted lips. 

“What’s your name, Omega? You mated yet?” She says, addressing him like how she would an unmated Omega.

The tone makes Kieran snarl; oh, how he hated being referred to as ‘Omega! As much as he hated the pet name, he knew the tall one and Ming Sheng would be his only way out of this hell-hole in Daze. Nodding his head, he replies with his name. 

“Just as I suspected. Sheng, don’t go around taking in strays like that. It’s not in good practice.” 

“But I-“ Ming Sheng begins, but is cut off by Boudica again.

“I’ll look over it this once, but I want you to know that its not something we can afford to do. The kid had better find a way to feed himself, or I’m tossing you out onto the streets. Clear?”

Kieran nods.

“Good. Now get changed, because I don’t like having blood all over my counter.”

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kieran had gotten used to life at Drep and the duo’s shared apartment building, quickly figuring out their routines. Ming Sheng was the chattier and more active one, typically home for extended periods of time. Boudica, or affectionately referred to as Boudie, was quieter, the taller Alpha preferring to spend her nights in the bar. 

She’d only ever addressed Kieran as Omega, or kid, but her words lacked malice, though her glare was often cold and critical. Kieran soon learnt how the duo worked, from how they smuggled beer into their establishment sans sky-high prices, distributing them amongst the working-class members of society. 

The rabble, as she called them. Most of them lacked the characteristic ID chips of the middle class, ranging from undocumented immigrants to Nintura to worn-out Omega prostitutes. Filing into the bar typically half-drunk, bar fights were common, typically involving one of the Omegan prostitutes. 

Kieran had been given a few days to acclimate, before having a worn-down beer glass chucked in his direction. He’d been instructed to man the beer taps, delivering beer to whoever had asked for it. He actually enjoyed this sort of menial work, a welcome respite from all the spare time he had as an Omega under his Alpha. Confined to the Whelping quarters he’d been expected to primp and prime, making himself look pretty for his Alpha. Here, the monotony of slinging drinks to wolf-whistles and hoots seemed preferable. 

A banging on the door shakes Kieran out from his daydream, the Omega looking in its direction. While having been instructed not to open the door for strangers, Ming Sheng and Boudica had been known to forget their keys and phone, banging their fists against the rickety metal door of the bar till Kieran opened it for them. 

Sighing, Kieran wiped his hands off on his apron, marching to the door. He listened in for Boudica’s heels on the asphalt, this time hearing nothing. 

“Boudica? Is that you?” He calls out to the other side, receiving no reply. Confused, he tries again, met with the same uncanny silence. 

The banging again on the other side, this time louder. This time the door rattles on its frame. 

“You’re gonna break the door if you keep banging like that, you know?” Kieran jokes a little, but doesn’t open the door. 

“Omega Protection Taskforce, open the door.” 

The color drains from Kieran’s face as he hears this. The Omega Protection Taskforce, or OPT. On the surface they were simply a special unit of Betas trained to retrieve Omegas from abusive conditions, but Omegas at the shelter told him otherwise. Stories of abuse, sexual assault and even outright rape floated through their bunks, but the word of Omegas were hardly, if ever believed. Immediately Kieran crouches and makes himself as scarce as possible as he creeps over to the sleeping figure of Ming Sheng. 

“Ming Sheng.” He hisses through his teeth, shakily the small man’s shoulders furiously.

“W-wha?” Ming Sheng mumbles, still fogged by sleep.

“They’re here.” 

“Who? The pizza bot?” 

“No, worse. The OPT.”

Ming Sheng’s eyes fly wide open as he hops off the couch, nearly crashing to the floor. Quickly, Kieran grabs hold of him with one arm, stabilizing him and preventing him from making any noise. 

“Shit! The OPT?! We need to get out of here!” Ming Sheng says, scrambling around for his valuables. 

Outside, the banging becomes louder, and Kieran can hear the barking of guard bots. They had to act fast. Grabbing what little he could find, Kieran pulls Ming Sheng by the hand, sneaking from the couch to the nearest available window he could find. 

“They can hear us. Stay clear of the doors or other windows.” He whispers, fiddling around in his pockets for his keys. 

“Omega Protection Taskforce, you are under suspicion of harboring Omega, Kieran Helminen. You have sixty seconds to comply before we break down this door. Your time starts now…” 

Kieran tries to ignore the sinking feeling in his stomach, trying to fish his keys out from his pocket. For some reason his hands just wouldn’t work, his fingers locking up every time he tried to fumble with his keys. There’s a lump in his throat as he sneaks glances to Ming Sheng, finally managing to pull what he assumes to be the correct key out its ring. 

He grabs hold of the lock, trying desperately to force the key in. No good, it wouldn’t fit no matter how hard he tried to jiggle things around. He tried harder, shoving and pushing and trying different keys, before the bunch drops to the floor from his shaking hands, Kieran’s breathing fast and heavy. 

“Fuck! Ming Sheng! Wrong keys! I don’t know what happened! Fuck!” He curses, trying to still his frantic breathing. Sweat beaded on his forehead, Kieran’s eyes darting around the room with a mix of sheer terror and desperate denial.

Ming Sheng nods, looking around the countertop for another set of keys. 

“Forty-five, forty-four…” The chant of the OPT rang in Kieran’s ears, quickening the beat of his rapid-fire heartbeat.

For some reason, every movement seemed to take an eternity. Ming Sheng just wouldn’t move fast enough; he fumbled with the keys as he slid back to Kieran, the keys just didn’t fit into the hole when he tried and his hands just wouldn’t stop shaking! Again, the bunch of keys fell to the floor in Kieran’s shaking hands as he tried to open the window. 

“Fuck it, you do-” 

“Nineteen, eighteen…”

“Do it! Fucking now before I punch your window out!” He hisses, thrusting the keys at Ming Sheng.

The lock to the window finally comes apart, Ming Sheng sliding open the steel shutters. For a moment, Kieran tries to hush him, the clanging of the shutters as Ming Sheng begins to crash out. Kieran steals a few quick glances back at the bar as Ming Sheng scrambles out and down into safety below. 

“C’mon Kieran! I’ve got you!” Ming Sheng’s voice cuts through his thoughts and back to reality. Ming Sheng stands below, holding his hands out for him. 

Kieran nods, gingerly slipping through the window. He curses, feeling the stubs of growing antlers catch against the window frame. He growls, trying to free himself from the wood panels. Adrenaline already pumping through him, the banging on the door intensifying. 

Shit, Kieran moves his head around wildly, already half-mad with panic. C’mon, c’mon, don’t do this to him when he was just a few moments away from freedom! He could hear Ming Sheng calling to him downstairs, arms outstretched for him – as if his small frame could contain him. 

The sound of a battering ram through the door can be heard as OPT members stormed the building, guard bots barking. Kieran yells, throwing caution to the wind as he forces himself through the window, snapping off a fragment of his horns in the process. Ignoring the pain of ripping velvet, Kieran jumps through the window and into – or rather onto, Ming Sheng. 

“Go! Run! Now!” Kieran yells, scrambling to get back up. His ribs sing with pain, but he forces himself to his feet, taking off as fast as his feet can take him. Ming Sheng follows after him, brushing the dirt off his clothes.   
Kieran whips through the crowds of Daze, holding his breath for as long as he can to stave off the stench of Alpha pheromones. Unconcerned if Ming Sheng was following him or not, Kieran shoves past prostitutes and their Johns as his eyes scan his surroundings for a safe spot. 

He manages to find an alleyway, ducking into it to catch his breath. Holding onto his ribs, Kieran crouches as low as he can to conserve energy. Ming Sheng is quick to follow, moving into the alleyway before he crouches down next to Kieran, checking him over for wounds. 

“What the hell was that?” Ming Sheng says in-between pants as he tries to catch his breath. 

“Omega…Omega handlers.” Kieran replies, shrugging Ming Sheng’s hands away.

“Why the hell did they come for us? What the hell did we do?”

Kieran shakes his head, fishing his nearly dead phone from his pocket before scrolling to his web browser. 

On it, the first page of recent news reads; Brutal Omega kidnapping victim, Kieran Helminen, suspected in illegal Daze nightclub!


End file.
